


boba beach

by orphan_account



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - High School, Class of 2006, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 19:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: yifan has way too many pictures of tao on his flip phone





	boba beach

**Author's Note:**

> here's a high school au set in 2006 japan that nobody asked for

 

Being an upperclassman has its benefits—mainly being that now that entrance exams have finished and the stresses of the future can be pushed off for a handful of months, Yifan can finally relax and spend the rest of his final year in high school with all of his friends, enjoying the moments as they come, relishing in present contentment before moments turn into memories turn into whispers of ‘the good old days’ before the blink of an eye. 

 

Yifan isn’t too worried about his future; he feels good about his exam marks, having spent countless hours studying with his friends (and making cherishable memories while doing so), and if all goes according to plan, they’ll hopefully all end up accepted into the same universities. Yifan’s friendship circle is perfect; the friends he has now are the friends he will carry throughout his life, and though others may call such a belief naïve, Yifan prefers to think of it as optimism. Just because some people completely fall out of touch with their friends after high school, doesn’t mean that Yifan has to do the same fall out of touch with those he loves. 

 

Another benefit of being an upperclassman is that most times, the homeroom teachers release their end-of-the-day classes just a little bit early, usually no more than five or ten minutes, but that five or ten minutes is all Yifan needs to trek the hallways of his school, smitten with the nostalgia that already creeps along his spine, and drag his fingers along the baby blue, cube lockers of the underclassmen, until he  _ feels _ , more than  _ sees _ the pretty characters that spell out the same name mirrored on the clip of his tie.

 

_ タオ  _ _ 高1 _

 

( _ Tao _ , First Year)

 

He sighs softly, and leans against the flat side of the lockers, facing the hallway, so he doesn’t cause a traffic jam when the year tens and elevens are released and come rushing madly down the halls, eager to get out of school on such a lovely Friday afternoon. 

 

Tao’s locker is positioned right by the entrance of the school, offering a pretty view of the courtyard, and with every breeze, the tousling of pink cherry blossom petals fluttering weightlessly atop the benches and tables outside. On such a nice day, it really is a breathtaking view. 

 

The school, so full of windows, always mirrors the weather outside, and when it is so sunny and bright outside, not a cloud rolling through the sky, a soft breeze to make the outdoors all the more pleasant, spring fever runs rampant, and Yifan lifts a hand to his tie, and gently tugs on the knot to loosen it. He can’t wait to get home and change out of his uniform into something more befitting of the weather, even though the school uniform looks wonderful on him—even if his tie  _ is  _ the wrong color. 

 

Yifan has gotten a few funny looks from supervisors and teachers, for the label on his blazer, falling atop his breast, reads  _ 吴亦凡 高3 _ , ( _ Wu Yifan, Third Year _ ) but the color of his tie is red, that of a first year student. Funny looks are all he really gets however, because the teachers understand the silly traditions of the students—those who are in a relationship often switch ties or name plates with their loved one, and it’s all harmless fun, anyways. 

 

The doors to the entrance of the school are propped open by some stalling hall monitors to anticipate groups of friends leaving in clusters for the weekend. 

 

Yifan sighs, though not of exasperation. Contentedness, maybe. It’s his last year of high school, with the end quickly rounding the corner, but he feels more at ease than he thinks he ever has been before. Certainly within the next few months, his entire life will change, but he thinks a lot will stay fundamentally the same. His friends, his location—he wants to stay local, finding no problems in where he lives right now—and his relationship, hopefully won’t change entirely too much. 

 

His relationship, hopefully, won’t change at all. 

 

Yifan fishes into his pocket and digs out his phone—a sleek white flip phone with a blue top that lights up neon whenever he has a notification or wants to check the time. He’s one of the few seniors on campus with a camera phone, and he definitely gets full use out of it, constantly snapping pictures (mostly of himself and Tao, but sometimes of his snot-nosed friends, too). From the top corner dangles a teeny little phone charm—a small, crystal panda bear, which is quite unbefitting of such a tall and somewhat intimidating looking guy such as Yifan, but he holds the charm (and who it represents) very close to his heart. His friends tease him for it, but the girls in his grade think it’s absolutely adorable. 

 

He opens his phone, noting that its only two minutes until the sweet song of the final bell, sending hundreds of students through the halls, backpacks slung over their shoulders, ready for the weekend. 

 

Yifan’s background is a somewhat pixelated blue cityscape—Kyoto, he thinks, which is a long while from Fukuoka, but pretty nonetheless—that is one of the stock images that comes with the phone. He navigates to the text message screen and shoots his boyfriend a quick message. 

 

**_Outgoing: taozi ♡´･ᴗ･`♡_ **

 

_ Come str8 2 ur locker im here ( ˘ ³˘)♥ _

 

By time he finishes the text, complete with a signature emoticon, the soft hum of the school bell interrupts the content silence that has swallowed Yifan, and within ten seconds, he can hear the loud chatter and footsteps of all of the underclassmen. 

 

A couple of girls bow shyly to him out of respect as they pass by him, and Yifan smiles and waves at them, finding their little crushes on him cute. Every underclassmen seems to have a crush on an unattainable upperclassmen—for some reason, however, in Yifan’s case, it was the opposite. 

 

The instant he saw Tao enter the cafeteria, a shy, lost new student with a poor grasp of Japanese, but an adorably kind personality, Yifan had tumbled head over heels. It had only taken a month for the two of them to grow inseparable. They don’t have any classes together, of course, but their free hours line up, and within two months, they were dating. Now, in the pretty, blooming spring, they’re one of the most well-known couples in the school, and Junmyeon, Yifan’s best friend since grade school, keeps hinting at their possible running-win for  _ ‘Cutest Couple’  _ in the yearbook this year.  

 

“Yo, Yifan!” Sehun, Tao’s closest friend (aside from Yifan himself), and a first-year underclassmen as well, catches Yifan’s attention, and jogs up to him, catching Yifan’s hand in a quick handshake, and Yifan smiles. 

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Yifan notes, with placid humor, that Sehun has already loosed up his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his uniform, clearly ready for the weekend.

 

Sehun grins, and adjusts his backpack, which is hanging loosely from his left shoulder, and shrugs. “Looking for Luhan, you seen him?” 

 

Yifan shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning a bit to the side against the lockers. “Nah. He’s probably still in homeroom, you know he’s a teacher’s pet.” Yifan teases. Luhan is one of his close friends as well, graduating alongside him this year, and they like to tease Luhan’s eagerness to please. He’s one of those students who is genuinely  _ friends  _ with his teachers. 

 

Sehun groans. “Great, now I have to go pretend I like Dr.  _ ‘Hardass-Hide.’” _

 

Yifan laugh openly at this, vaguely feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he reaches for it, absently flipping it open without actually looking at it, still looking at Sehun. 

 

“Ugh, I should go upstairs then,” Sehun rolls his eyes, and slaps Yifan playfully on the shoulder, beginning to walk away, when he turns around mid-stride and calls to Yifan, walking backwards “Hey, we’re hitting up Tenjin Horumon around seven tonight, gonna grab some food and then probably go get boba or something, you and Tao in?” 

 

Honestly, it sounds like a good time if Yifan has ever heard of one, and he just got paid from his part-time job at a frozen yogurt place, so he can afford to pay for Tao tonight, too. Truthfully, Yifan’s only motivation for getting a job was having money to blow on Tao.

 

“For sure, we’ll see you guys there!” Yifan calls back, and Sehun smiles and gives him a thumbs up, before turning around and running upstairs to catch Luhan. 

 

Yifan chuckles softly to himself and shakes his head, glancing back down at his phone, paying little attention to the clusters of students meeting with their friends by the lockers and in the courtyard. 

 

**_Incoming: taozi ♡´･ᴗ･`♡_ **

 

_ omw!! _

  
  


There isn't anything special about the message, but it still makes Yifan smile. Tao is one of the only people who can make Yifan’s face light up and his heart soar. Even mentioning Tao can bring a sparkle to Yifan’s eyes and a fluttering to his heart, and while some people call it puppy love, high school love, something shallow and superfluous when viewed beyond the magnifying view of an eighteen year old, Yifan, while aware of how fleeting young love can be, thinks somewhere in the back of his mind and bottom of his heart, that there’s a reason Tao transferred to Fukuoka Prefectural for high school. Maybe, just maybe, that reason was to find Yifan. 

 

“Boo!” Startles the honey-sweet voice of the object of Yifan’s affections, and Yifan, engrossed in his thoughts, staring at his phone, running his thumbs over the surface of the number pad, jumps a bit, slapping his phone shut with a yell. 

 

Beside him, the ugly, yet sweetening laughter of Tao, and Yifan groans, but finds himself grinning nonetheless. 

 

“Did that  _ really  _ scare you?” Tao giggles out, shifting his backpack, slung over one shoulder just as Sehun’s had been. 

 

Yifan rolls his eyes and slips his phone into his pocket. “Pfft, not even.” He teases. 

 

Tao is a sight to behold, really, and Yifan’s eyes drink in the oasis. The first-year student, with his red-lined blazer, catches people’s eye with his yellow tie— _ Yifan’s _ yellow tie. While not unheard of, it’s certainly a bit unorthodox for the third years and first years to be fraternizing, let alone dating, and yet, Tao and Yifan have been wearing each other’s neckties for almost seven months. 

 

Yifan also notices the sweater that Tao has pulled over his blazer. It’s a school-issued cardigan, black with two stripes across the arms and chest that match the grade of the student—except Tao’s sweater has  _ yellow  _ stripes, instead of red, and it wears a little big on his frame. Tao is only a little bit shorter than Yifan, but he has thinner shoulders, so the sleeves run deeper, and Yifan clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth and tugs Tao closer, fingers threading around one of the sweater’s buttons. 

 

“Hey,” He begins, eyes hooded as he looks at Tao as though he is the only light in the world. “I’ve been looking for this.” There’s a falsified scorn in Yifan’s voice, because he isn’t upset in the slightest. It’s sweet and warming to see Tao wearing his sweater—like a little claim on their relationship. It makes Yifan feel happy inside in a way he will later describe as pure contentment, and longingness for the moment he’s in. 

 

Tao smiles, his tongue pressing between his teeth, and grasps at Yifan’s— _ his _ —tie, and rubs the clip, which boasts his name, affectionately. “Found it.” 

 

There’s a moment—perhaps only a few seconds—that transpires between them, and reminds Yifan of sunsets and the flush of nostalgic pink and orange that blushes the sky, and the tickling of his nose when the flower petals flutter like butterfly wings to the ground. 

 

Only seconds, really. 

 

Tao bounces off of Yifan, opting to take his boyfriend’s hand instead, and begins tugging him toward the exit of the school, eager just as anybody else to leave the building and start the leisurely pace of the weekend.

 

“C’mon, let’s get out of here!” 

  
  
  


. . . .  

  
  


Walking to and from school wasn’t anything too special to Yifan until third year. It was a forgotten journey to a destination that he took for granted. A part of his day purged from memory, really. But, Tao lives only a street away from Yifan, and with his company, walking to school every morning is a collection of moments that he treasures, and walking home becomes something he does with the strength of a tender, romantic adagio. 

 

He knows that soon, he won’t be able to walk home with Tao every day, won’t be waking up and rushing out the door to prolong his mornings with Tao for as long as he possibly can, so he treasures every second, every step, every sneezing fit that Tao has in the mornings when the pollen count in the air is higher and his allergies are acting up, every dollar he spends on Tao on the way home, when they pass by gift shops and Yifan can't help himself.

 

He even treasures the moment when Tao lets go of his hand just outside of the school gates, shrugs off his backpack, and offers it to Yifan with the sweetest, most devastating puppy dog eyes that Yifan has ever seen before. 

 

“Oh god,” Yifan groans, knowing that look all too well. “What do you want?” He feigns exasperation, but there is far too much affection swelling in his tone for any true anxiety to be misread.

 

Very few people can reduce Yifan into the same, fluttering, pliable flower petals that float from the branches of the trees, gently to the ground at even the slightest breeze, and yet, the flitting of Tao’s eyelashes conjures a windstorm, and Yifan finds himself powerless to do anything but what the first-year (who is undoubtedly too adorable for his own good) demands of him. 

 

“Carry it for me?” Tao asks sweetly, voice like sugar, soothing to Yifan’s ears, regardless of what he is saying, and with a soft groan, Yifan takes the backpack from Tao and slings it over his shoulder with theatrics that are entirely unnecessary. 

 

He  _ really _ doesn’t mind carrying Tao’s backpack—he already carries Tao’s books for him from class to class after lunch—and there’s something so sweet and warming about it all, how cliched a couple they actually are; from wearing each other’s ties and blazers, to Yifan holding Tao’s backpack in one hand and Tao’s hand in the other. It’s nice, it makes Yifan’s heart swell with a knowledge that, though he longs to be with Tao forever, he will some day long to be in this exact moment, for even longer. 

 

Tao laughs, his tongue pressing between his teeth, and makes a heart with his hands to express his gratitude. 

 

“You’re such a good sport.” Tao beams, clapping his hand in Yifan’s free one as they begin to walk, side by side, towards Tao’s house. 

 

“Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky I love you.” Yifan grumbles, smiling back at Tao despite his words. 

 

A lot of kids live in the same general area as Yifan and Tao, and as they walk, hand in hand, Yifan wearing two backpacks, the other sounds of groups of friends chatting and laughing and skipping behind them and in front of them, walking home to start their own versions of a perfect high school weekend in Spring, fill the natural, comfortable lulls in conversation between Yifan and Tao as they come. There’s a handful of girls in front of them, socks already bunched around their ankles, uniforms mussed up in the hassle to get out of the school.

 

For his entire school life, he’s walked home like this—granted, without Tao until recently—and spent his mornings and afternoons skipping over cracks and daydreaming about the days when he could leave for university, and reach higher and further for the stars and for his dreams. First and second year, all Yifan and his friends would talk about was moving forward, growing into adults and the freedom that awaited them, naïvety swelling their words and dyeing their dreams pink, and yet, the irony has struck Yifan in the last few months of his final year. 

 

All he  _ wants  _ is to go back. All he wants is to walk slower, talk slower, blink slower, hand-in-hand with Tao, stretching his sweet, candy-colored youth into forever. He spent his entire life longing for the future, and now, at a very tender eighteen, he longs for the present to never become the past. 

 

Yifan thinks, if he could go back and do it all over again, he would. Or, at the very least, he would live his moments with Tao up until now, forever. And, it isn’t as though they are going to break up after Yifan graduates—especially not with Yifan and his third year friends all planning to stay local—but Yifan knows things will be different. Hopefully not too much different, but different. 

 

Tao, noticing the glaze in Yifan’s eyes, frowns a little, always so in tune with the emotions of others, if not a little bit too sensitive for his own good, and slows their pace just a little.

 

“Hey,” He says softly, his voice the prettiest lullaby. Tao is one of those people who enchants, both with his appearance, and the gentle nature of his character, always so sweet and soft spoken. “What’re you thinking about?” He asks. 

 

Yifan, drawn from his somewhat melancholy, yet all too sweet, lucidity, looks at Tao with surprise. “Huh?” Yifan sputters. Tao looks so cute when he’s fussing over Yifan, and Yifan smiles, the kind that reaches beyond the eyes and fills his heart with a throbbing warmth. 

 

“Nothing.” He assures Tao. “Everything’s perfect.”

 

Before Tao can respond, a grin growing on his face, behind them, the chaos of footsteps and rowdy, loud teenagers.

 

“Hey guys, wait up!” Comes a voice that Yifan recognizes to be Chanyeol, another third year student, a loudmouth who’s a bit too excitable for his own good, but kind and one of the best friends that Yifan (and Tao) could ever ask for. Tao and Yifan stop, not dropping each other’s hands for a moment, and smile at the pair. Beside Chanyeol, his best friend, Baekhyun, hot on his heels. Both of them look a little disheveled; ties undone, shirts untucked—one of Chanyeol’s sneakers is untied. 

 

“Yifan, didn’t you get my texts?” Chanyeol jogs beside them, Baekhyun a few paces behind due to his shorter stride, but just as bubbly. 

 

Yifan purses his lips together and shrugs. His phone is on vibrate in his pocket, but he probably didn’t feel it due to his walking. 

 

“Eh, whatever,” Chanyeol waves him off. “Are you guys going to Tenjin tonight?” 

 

The now-foursome beings walking again, albeit slowly. 

 

“Tenjin tonight?” Tao asks excitedly. Yifan had completely forgotten to tell Tao about it, too wrapped up in Tao himself.

 

Tao bounces on his feet, and lets go of Yifan’s hand in favor of animatedly poking Yifan’s shoulder over and over again. “We’re totally going, right? Right!” 

 

The three surrounding the youngest laugh. Tao is so bubbly, so bouncy, such a great compliment to Yifan’s usual seriousness. 

 

Yifan had already told Sehun earlier that they would be there, but now, with Tao pegging at his shoulder and Baekhyun and Chanyeol looking at him expectedly, Yifan smiles brightly and laughs, grabbing at Tao’s hands. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, cut it out!” He chides lightly, sending Tao into giggles. “Sehun invited us back at school. We’ll definitely be there.” 

 

Chanyeol pumps the air with his fist, skipping slightly, and Baekhyun claps. 

 

“Alright! I think Suho wanted to get boba after but there’s a new internet cafe in Hakata. They have Windows Vista on their computers, Yifan.” Baekhyun explains. When Yifan and Tao only stare blankly at Baekhyun, Chanyeol biting back his snickers, Baekhyun exasperatedly repeats, “Windows  _ Vista! _ I haven’t gotten to try it yet, guys!” He whines. 

 

Chanyeol lightly slaps the back of Baekhyun’s head. “Nerd-ass.” He teases lightly, and Tao laughs particularly hard at this, prompting the other three to laugh too. 

 

“Nobody wants to go to an internet cafe on a Friday night, Baekhyun. It’s too sweaty in there.” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest, pretending to be more upset than he actually is. 

 

“What about the Virgin Records store downtown?” Tao suggests, and Yifan nods in approval at this. It’s been a while since he’s been to Virgin Records, and he really would like to pick up a few CDs so he can make a mix for Tao before graduation. 

 

Chanyeol seems to agree with this idea as well. “That sounds  _ way  _ better than an internet cafe, right? And there’s a Blockbuster on that same street, too. Oh Tao—you’re a genius!” 

 

Tao flushes, smiling with his tongue between his teeth again and shrugs. “I try.” 

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, but it’s all in good humor, and he pulls out his phone—a white Nokia with a slide-up keyboard that lights up green when in use—and checks the time, his eyes bugging out of his head. 

 

“Dude!” He slaps Chanyeol’s arm, maybe a little too hard, because Chanyeol yelps out in a very unattractive manner. “It’s almost three! My mom’s making red bean buns, we have go now if we want some while they’re still hot!” Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol’s arm, and takes off, tugging him ahead on the sidewalk, struggling to get the taller boy to break into a run. 

 

Tao and Yifan watch the two in amusement, and Chanyeol looks at them desperately and mouths  _ “help me” _ , while Baekhyun turns and waves goodbye at them. 

 

“See you guys tonight! And we’re going to that internet cafe eventually!” He shouts. 

 

Tao laughs, and grabs Yifan’s hand again, their pace returning to normal. 

 

“Do you think they’ll ever actually start dating?” Tao asks, leaning heavily against Yifan’s shoulder as they walk. Even with the weight of both his backpack and Tao’s backpack, Yifan feels really  _ nice  _ when Tao does that—he’s so affectionate, so touchy—and Yifan, though he really doesn’t seem like the type (and he supposes that he probably  _ isn’t _ ; he just really likes having Tao close)—enjoys the affection. 

 

Yifan shrugs, running his tongue across his teeth, and re-adjusts the backpack slung over his opposite shoulder. “Maybe. Probably not. They’re both stubborn.” 

 

Tao hums in agreement. “Hey, can we take the Nissan to Tenjin tonight? I really don’t want to pile into Yixing’s xTerra.” Tao frowns, and beside him, Yifan laughs openly. 

 

Yifan drives a white 1998 Nissan z300—it was actually his older brother’s—and even though it’s eight years old, it’s still a car that people stop and look at, especially with  _ Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift  _ coming out this Summer (a movie that Yifan has already declared that he and Tao are going to see in the theater the very  _ day  _ it comes out—non-negotiable). 

 

Their hands swing a bit widely between their bodies as Yifan skips a few steps. “Are you only dating me for my car?” 

 

Tao bites his lip cheekily and wiggles a little. “Definitely.” He flirts, lashes blinking. “In fact—as soon as Sehun gets his Subaru, I’m going to break up with you.” Tao teases, and Yifan purses his lips together in an attempt to suppress his smile, but to Tao, Yifan is just making the dorkiest, cutest kissy face, and Tao bounces up on his toes, stopping their stride, and presses a quick little kiss to Yifan’s lips, drawing away and smiling. 

 

“I’m kidding, of course.” Tao lets go of Yifan’s hand, and begins skipping ahead a few steps, walking backwards in front of Yifan so they’re facing each other. 

 

Yifan opens his mouth to say something, but Tao speaks before he can. 

 

“I’ll only leave you if he gets a Honda.” Tao grins, sticking his tongue out and breaking into a cute little run away from Yifan, and Yifan’s jaw drops, a smile breaking across his face as he hikes up all of the extra baggage he’s carrying, and takes off down the sidewalk after Tao, who’s laughing wildly and freely. 

 

“You little—I’m going to catch you!” Yifan cries out, half-heartedly excusing himself as he nearly crashes into the girls that were a few paces ahead of them, who are laughing with the pair. 

 

_ Yeah _ , Yifan thinks when he finally catches up to Tao and tackles him, arms flitting around Tao’s waist, spinning them around on the sidewalk in front of a stand full of pink and green dragonfruit and a very amused shop owner. 

  
He  _ definitely  _ would live this moment with Tao forever. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> im lazy and grew up in fukuoka but i wasnt high school age in 2006 rip lol


End file.
